What a Crock!

In the winter, it becomes all about how to beat the chill, especially so you yourself don't start acting chilly! I like to make cookies, etc, myself, sure, it's a messy process and my oven is semi-annoying at times! I'm also of the school that says : If you aren't finding yourself wearing the cookie dough, you're not doing it right. (And yes, I will eat it off a spoon or off the beaters, sorry, Mom!) It warms up the place quite nicely, far better than ancient heaters that, like all else in the house, are either HOT! HOT! HOT! or cold. (Washing hair means risking certain burns if you're not careful.) What do you expect though, from certain indicators, I'd say the place was built in the 60's or so.
I like to let a crockpot simmer all day, so I can have a nice treat after I get back from my forays into the snow to take care of business. And it makes me feel nice, that if I'm not feeling good, I'll manage to make a pretty fool-proof stew or something.
I have an extremely tiny one now, but I worked up a pretty good and basic soup, using the "I'll cook as I feel it" method.
The "Budget" Stew
1 lb stew beef ($4.99/lb) - someone told me they once bought this for around seventy-five cents. I just stared at them.

1/2 cup GF flour... I used a packet of Bob's Red Mill "All Purpose Flour"- $3.99/ packet
2 teaspoons of salt. Nothing special, can be found for about $2.00 or so if going generic.
1/2 teaspoon of pepper (Same as above, a small container of the most basic could probably be had at just a hair over $1.50. They don't do "cheap" like they used to. If I'm really feeling cheap, I steal salt and pepper packets at Micky Dees. I know from living in dorms, those ketchup packets, hot water and salt and pepper make a cheap tomato soup, too.)
I left out shortening, really didn't miss it.
A half packet of baby carrots- $1.00 for a pound package.
1 cup sliced celery- a package of the most basic goes for about $1.49
Half of a small onion- $1.99
A pinch of basil and oregano- $2.69 and $1.00, respectively
1/3 cup of water. No need to use bottled. From tap, maybe 20 cents/ gallon.
3 sliced red potatoes, $1.00/ pound

Mix flour, salt and pepper. Coat beef liberally in mixture.
Place beef in pan with remainder of flour mix. Brown cubes.
Place all but water in crock pot.
Pour water in skillet, scrape the meat from pan, pour this into crock.
Cook on low if you can wait 10-12 hours, high if you can stand five.
Can be served alone, or stretched with rice, brown or white, or noodles.
All told, I spent precisely $18.18 before tax, which stands at nearly 9% here. Not too shabby for a hardy meal with Mom. About 4-6 servings, give or take, so, using the smaller serving estimate, each serving is: $4.55 / per serving.